Listen to Track from Tim Tebow Foundation Interview

Hear Roger's interview last week with Erik Dellenback, Executive Director of the Tim Tebow Foundation.

http://snd.sc/ta0POC

"OLD SCHOOL GATOR" FLORIDA-GEORGIA RETROSPECTIVE AIRS TONIGHT!

Outstanding Line-up of Gator Greats Headline 540 WFLA Exclusive!

The "Old School Gator" Florida-Georgia Retrospective will debut tonight on Central Florida's Gator Nation Station, 540 WFLA and 540wfla.com from 8pm-9pm, immediately following "Gator Hotline with Coach Will Muschamp". The program will feature:

Allen Trammell, DB/RB/PR from '63-'65, and his account of the '65 defensive struggle where JR QB Steve Spurrier led a stirring 82 yard 2-play drive in the waning minutes to give the Gators a 14-10 victory.

Chris Doering, WR from '92-'95, the all-time SEC career touchdown receptions leader, who will re-count the '94 and '95 games when the Gators scored 50+ points on the 'Dogs in Gainesville and Athens and also provide insight on how Coach Steve Spurrier reversed the tide of the Florida-Georgia Series.

Richard Trapp, WR/PR from '65-'67 and star of of the '67 game, on his legendary performance in the come from behind 17-16 last minute win over Georgia.

Jim Yarbrough, TE from '66-'68 and All-20th Century TE, on the dissapointment of the '66 game when Georgia knocked the then-undefeated Gators out of their first SEC Championship with a crushing 27-10 defeat AND the ironic future implications of that  loss.

Erik Dellenback, Executive Director of the Tim Tebow Foundation is also scheduled to join the broadcast to update Gators around Florida on great things taking place at the Tim Tebow Foundation.

ERIK DELLENBACK, TIM TEBOW FOUNDATION EXEC, WILL JOIN OLD SCHOOL GATOR BROADCAST

Erik Dellenback, Tim Tebow Foundation Executive Director, is scheduled to join tonight's "Old School Gator" broadcast to update Gators on the mission and progress of the Tim Tebow Foundation. Earlier this week the Tim Tebow Foundation announced a new partnership with CURE International.

Tonight's program will also include a retrospective on great games, great players and great moments in the Florida-Georgia Series.

The program will air live on 540 WFLA, Central Florida's Gator Nation Station, and on-line at http://www.540wfla.com/ from 8pm-9pm immediately following "Gator Hotline with Coach Will Muschamp".

OLD SCHOOL GATOR BROADCAST TO FEATURE FLORIDA-GEORGIA RETROSPECTIVE

Image courtesy of News4Jax.com

Long touted as one of THE most celebrated college football rivalries of all time, the annual Florida-Georgia game is much more than just the "world's largest outdoor cocktail party." Since the game began being played on neutral territory in Jacksonville in 1933, Gator and 'Dawg fans, players and coaches have descended upon the northern Florida city to participate in some of the season's most exciting college football year after year.

Tomorrow evening from 8 - 9 p.m. EST, immediately following "Gator Hotline with Coach Will Muschamp," on 540 WFLA-AM (The Gator Nation Station), The Old School Gator Series with Roger Franklin Williams will feature a retrospective on the Florida-Georgia series.

Topics and guests will include:

• Allen Trammell, RB/DB/KR from '63 - '65 and his recollections of the '65 game, a defensive struggle won 14-10 on a late 2-play 82-yard drive led by QB Steve Spurrier.
• Richard Trapp, WR/PR from '65 - '67, star of the '67 game
• All-20th Century TE Jim Yarbrough, '66 - '68 and Trapp discussing the disappointing 27-10 loss to Georgia in '66
• Chris Doering, WR from '92 - '95, discussing his recollections of the '94 and '95 games when Florida scored over 50 points on Georgia in both Gainesville and Athens and Coach Steve Spurrier's influence on turning the tide of the series and establishing a culture of dominance by the Florida Gators.
• Erik Dellenback, Executive Director of the Tim Tebow Foundation, is also scheduled to make a special appearance via phone from Jacksonville to update Gators on exciting recent developments at the Tim Tebow Foundation.

For those in the immediate listening area, tune your dials to 540 AM from 8 - 9 p.m. to tune into this exciting rivalry retrospective. For anyone who is not in the immediate listening area but would still like to tune into the program, listen live at http://www.540wfla.com/.

GO GATORS! BEAT GEORGIA!

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates and news.

Tim Tebow Foundation Partners with CURE International

As many of you know, I am an enthusiastic supporter of Tim Tebow and his mission to use his influence to help others. I received the following press release from the Executive Director of the Tim Tebow Foundation and I wanted to share it with all of my readers. Stay tuned for more details.

Tim Tebow Foundation partners with CURE International
to bring physical and spiritual healing to the world’s poorest children 

Jacksonville, FL  (October 25, 2011) – The Tim Tebow Foundation today announced its partnership with CURE International.  The Tim Tebow Foundation’s mission is to bring faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day, and this partnership will directly benefit children throughout the developing world who suffer from treatable physical disabilities.  CURE, which exists to provide both physical and spiritual healing, operates programs and hospitals in 20 countries and has performed more than 121,000 surgeries in its 14-year history.   

“I am truly excited about this partnership with CURE International,” said Tebow.  “When I learned about what CURE does and how intentional the organization is about sharing the Gospel and healing children, I knew it would be a great partnership.”   

The on-going partnership between the Tim Tebow Foundation and CURE will focus on several projects, the first of which will be a children’s hospital construction project in the developing world.  Details on the location and specifics of the project will be announced in the coming weeks.  

“Tim’s passion for sharing his faith and making a difference in the lives of people around the world is a natural fit with CURE,” said Dr. Scott Harrison, President and Founder of CURE International.  “It is a blessing for us to partner with someone of Tim’s caliber and integrity.  Through this partnership, many children will receive the healing they so desperately need.” 

To learn more or get involved, visit www.timtebowfoundation.org or www.cure.org/timtebow. 

TIM TEBOW FOUNDATION

The Tim Tebow Foundation was created in January 2010 by NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. The mission of the Tim Tebow Foundation is to bring faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. The Foundation is accomplishing this mission through the building of playrooms in children’s hospitals, supporting orphans worldwide, and making “Dreams Come True” for children with life threatening illnesses.  

CURE INTERNATIONAL

Since opening the doors of its first surgical teaching hospital in Kijabe, Kenya, in 1998, CURE's focus on bringing healing to developing nations has resulted in more than 1.5 million patient visits and over 121,000 surgeries to correct physically disabling conditions.  

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OLD SCHOOL GATOR WITNESSES MORE TEBOW MAGIC

Despite a slow start, Tim Tebow led the Denver Broncos to an amazing 18-15 overtime victory, and, of course, the Old School Gator, who was there to witness it in person, is the least surprised person on planet earth. In typical Tim Tebow fashion, the game was filled with unique drama, excitement and passion. That is why the Old School Gator AND TENS OF MILLIONS OF INSIGHTFUL FOOTBALL FANS AROUND AMERICA feel so strongly about Tim Tebow. Tebow plays with heart, passion and guts, truly has the heart of a champion, and that is why with Tim Tebow at QB no game is over until the last second  literally ticks off the clock.

Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times

According to Chris Berman of ESPN, yesterday's Denver comeback was the only comeback from as many as 15 points to win in the last five minutes since the merger of the NFL and AFL circa 1970.

As the Old School Gator has said many times, Tim Tebow is something special. Yesterday's game is not the last we'll see of Tim Tebow. The Old School Gator predicted he'd be a first round draft pick in April 2010 and the Old School Gator predicted he'd show the world his amazing talents in Sunday's game. One more tip  from the Old School Gator; as I've said many times before, "Tim Tebow is destined for greatness as an NFL starting QB, Tim Tebow will be the next great QB in the NFL and one day Tim Tebow will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame." And, with God's Grace, the Old School Gator will be there in Canton to see it!

It's Tebow's Time to Shine

The Old School Gator is heading down to the Denver-Miami game on Sunday incredibly confident that Tim Tebow will show the rest of America what Gators, as well as legions of Denver fans, I might add, have known for a very long time: Tim Tebow, given the opportunity, will become one of the best QBs in the NFL.
Gator Gridiron/Old School Gator has been proclaiming to the world that Tim Tebow gives Denver a much better chance to win than Kyle Orton does. In recognition of Tim Tebow's first start in 2011, not to mention the Denver "brain trust" finally getting a clue, we are posting the video from April 21 of 2011, the day before the 2010 NFL draft, of The Old School Gator going against the "experts" ( Mel Viper, McShay, Colin Pencil-neck, etc. ) to proclaim that Tim Tebow WILL BE selected in the first round.
For more Truth about Tim Tebow, as opposed to the myths and lies promoted by the national sports media check out www.YouTube.com/tebowtruth and you'll see INFORMED, ACCURATE Tim Tebow takes from the Old School Gator, aka, The Tebow Defender.

Why? Because I know Tim Tebow is something special. I watched what he did at UF, I know what he can do in the NFL. Tim Tebow gives Denver "the best chance to win", or any other NFL team, for that matter.

DID GATOR GRIDIRON OVER-ESTIMATE IMPACT OF CHARLIE WEIS?

GATOR GRIDIRON
ROGER FRANKLIN WILLIAMS

During and prior to September, the Gator Gridiron blog as well as various Central Florida radio broadcasts, pod-casts and media outlets have witnessed the Old School Gator proclaiming to the world that Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator is one of the best things to ever happen to Gator Football, that Charlie Weis is perhaps the best offensive coordinator in the game of football, at any level,and various other accolades. It's disturbing what a couple of impressive "exhibition" victories and 400 yards rushing against Kentucky can do to your judgement.

Well, cut to Sunday October 16, aka, "the day after Auburn" and the realization that in the last three weeks the 2011 Gator offense is looking a whole lot like the 2010 Gator offense...right down to, horrifically, the return of the dreaded 3-headed QB monster.

In ugly offensive performances against upper-echelon SEC competition, the Gators just flat out have not been able to run the ball, period. Demps and Rainey 4 yards a piece vs. Alabama, no running game at all at LSU and now 60-something yards on 30-something carries, or more specifically, 2 yards a carry, against Auburn...in a winnable game.

Certainly, Gator Gridiron understands that the predicament of having to play 2 pure Freshman QBs, with one of them playing on a bum ankle, puts the Florida offensive braintrust in a true disadvantage---especially when you have to play the No 1 & No 3 teams on the nation back to back. But the thing that is most disconcerting is that talented players are not being utilized.

For example, tough, quick RB Mike Gillislee, who is averaging over 7 yards per carry and has averaged over 5 yards a carry for his entire Gator career, is being completely waisted. If utilized properly, ie,15-20 times a game, Gillislee could provide that inside running presence that Florida so desperately needs.

All the while, talented speedster Andre DeBose languishes as the 4th or 5th option in the offense, when all he ever does in the very few times he is called upon is make big plays and score TDs.

At least DeBose and Gillislee actually get the ball every now and then. Big, strong, tall, fast, sure-handed, versatile WR Omarious Hines has been completely ignored! Ala DeBose, in the very few times Hines was called upon last year, he produced in a big way. Hines also brings a unique combination of size and skills--he could be utilized as a WR, a TE or even as a RB/FB. Lord knows the Gator needs something...at least something more than Rainey/Demps left; Rainey/Demps right; Rainey/Demps up the middle; short dump pass to Rainey; punt.

Why not let Gillislee, DeBose and Omarious Hines play a little and see what happens.

I bet what will happen is, the Gators will begin to move the ball, score touchdowns and maybe...just maybe WIN A FREAKING GAME!

Gators Suffer Ugly Loss at Auburn

Defense Hangs Tough; Offense Pathetic

A tenacious Gator defense hung tough in a crucial SEC battle at Auburn, but another less than lackluster performance on offense doomed Florida in an ugly 17-6 loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the site massive Gator suffering over the past 80+ years.

Florida trailed 7-6 after a hard fought first half, where Auburn's TD came on a short field after a controversial fumbled punt by Chris Rainey. Rainey signaled for a fair catch and then appeared to be interfered with by an Auburn defender, causing Rainey to fumble, but no penalty was called and the ball was awarded to Auburn. Three Gator turnovers, including 2 fumbled punts doomed the Gators on a night when the offense was completely stymied.

Freshman QB Jacoby Brissett started and played the first half.The dreaded 3-headed QB monster reared it's ugly head in the second half, as O-Coordinator Charlie Weis inserted Freshman QB Jeff Driskel to start the second half and Trey Burton also took snaps at QB throughout the game. The Freshmen QBs stats were respectable considering the circumstances, but the complete lack of a running game made achieving any kind of consistent success, including scoring a touchdown, futile. The Gators coaches continued what has become a new tradition at Florida---keeping effective RB Mike Gillislee on the bench (3) carries. Gillislee and Soph WR Andre DeBose were among a large contingent of Gators, including excellent SR K, who spent time on the sideline due to injury.

The short take on this game is the D put up a valiant effort stopping Auburn on the ground and through the air, but special teams miscues coupled with a non-existent offense resulted in Florida's 3rd consecutive SEC loss.

USE GILLISLIEE AND DeBOSE TONIGHT!

As a crucial SEC road game at Auburn gets under way, Gator Gridiron urges Coach Muschamp to---USE GILLISLEE AND DeBOSE!

Florida's between-the-tackles running game has been non existent the last 2 weeks (except for Mike Gillislee's churning out yards late in the game at LSU). Time and time again during his Gator career the sturdy RB from DeLand has run the ball effectively when called upon. Let's give him the ball about 20 times tonight and see what he can do with a legitimate opportunity.

Andre DeBose has done nothing but make huge plays and generate excitement when he has been allowed on the field. Last year, two kick-off returns for touchdowns, a Gator season record, btw. This year, exciting 65 yard TD receptions in back to back games vs Alabama & LSU---the only real offense generated in those games, btw. Why not get him the ball more than once or twice a game? I mean like 10-12-15 times or more on passes and kick/punt returns?

And while you are getting Gillislee and DeBose involved don't forget about Omarious Hines.... He can make plays, too....if given the chance.

The count is on... how many fans will Tebow bring to Sun Life Stadium next weekend?

I found this Orlando Sentinel article incredibly interesting.

The article's author, Dave Hyde, predicts "Tebow will get cheered like no visiting opponent ever at a Dolphins game."

What do you think?

Photo Credit: Orlando Sentinel

GATORS ROLLED IN BATON ROUGE

Defensive Collapse Leads To Another Route

GATOR GRIDIRON
ROGER FRANKLIN WILLIAMS

For the second week in a row the Florida Gators were routed by an elite SEC team, this time suffering a thorough 30 point shellacking (41-11) at the hands of the LSU Tigers, the nations' number one ranked team. The lopsided loss to LSU follows a 28 point blow-out in the Swamp to second ranked Alabama.

While the Florida came into both contests as underdogs, the lopsided nature of the beatings came as a surprise to most observers, from Las Vegas to national media to SEC fans to Gator Gridiron and, of course, to die hard Gators.

So, what the heck is going on with the 2011 Gators?

2011 IS A REBUILDING YEAR

First, let's not forget, Gators, that this year is fundamentally a re-building year....new coaches, new schemes and philosophies, on both offense and defense, and a very, very young team. And, whereas most Gators, including Gator Gridiron,  expected the Alabama game in the Swamp to be close, going on the road, toTiger Statium against the Number 1 ranked team in the country no less, with a pure Freshman QB, is not exactly a situation for rosy optimism. Whereas Florida has many talented players, the Gators are also very thin in various key spots; especially the offensive line, linebacker and the secondary and approx 65% of the team are  Freshmen and Sophomores.

VARIOUS REFLECTIONS ON LSU

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DEFENSE? ESPECIALLY THE DEFENSIVE LINE? A line that looked so talented, deep and aggressive in a big home win against Tennessee (and a road win over Kentucky...but let's face it, routing Kentucky obviously means nothing once you go up against the Big Boys of the SEC) has been absolutely punked by the elite teams of the SEC West. For those of us who were optimistic about the potential for this season, one of the key elements of that optimism were the prospects of a solid D. You are not going to have much success in the SEC if you can't stop the run. Well.... the last two weeks Florida's D-line has been OVER-RUN to the tune of 250+ plus yards rushing per game. Most disturbing is the fact that Alabama and LSU moved the chains at will by running between the tackles, especially in the crucial 4th quarter when most games in the SEC are either won or lost. Against Alabama and LSU the Gator D-Line looked tired and soft. You are never going to win anything of consequence in the SEC without a solid defense, especially D-Line.

COME ON, WE DIDN'T FALL FOR  ANOTHER LSU FAKE KICK, DID WE? Would someone please tell the Gator coaching staff that Les Miles likes to fake kicks and punts? Seemingly every game that LSU has played over at least the last 5 years or so has included a dramatic fake kick or punt. Yet, EVERY YEAR the Gators get caught off guard and hurt at a crucial moment by a fake LSU kick or punt. Maybe Jeremy needs to send a memo to every member of the coaching staff the week before the Gators play LSU to remind them to LOOK OUT FOR THE FAKE KICK!!!!

PUT GILLISLEE AT TAILBACK! Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps are outstanding weapons who give Florida an extra dimension in the running game. What they don't give you, however, is something that is vital to a successful offense---the ability to pound the ball between the tackles and move the chains consistently...to pick up that unspectacular, but crucial 3-4-5 yards between the tackles consistently. Against Alabama and LSU the Gators had no inside running game at all! There is a back on the Florida roster who gives you that ablitiy----Mike Gillislee. Gillislee is bigger and stronger than Demps and Rainey; more importantly, he HAS PROVEN he can play. Gillislee has performed well every chance he has had to get in the game, from the very first game of  his Freshman season to the 2010 Sugar Bowl where he gained almost 100 yards in back-up duty to the 2010 Alabama road loss to the limited duty he has had this season, in fact Mike Gillislee has an average of over 5 yards per carry for his career at Florida. PUT HIM IN THE LINEUP AND START MOVING THE CHAINS ON OFFENSE!!!

GET ANDRE DeBOSE THE BALL. While lack of depth and youth are legitimate concerns for Florida, Gator Gridiron really doesn't want to hear about lack of depth or lack of talent as long as a proven playmaker like Andre DeBose is languishing on the bench. In the very, very few times he got to play last year, the Sophomore speedster from Sanford Seminole made big plays and lit up the scoreboard. The only player to score 2 touchdowns on kick-off returns in the same season in Gator history? Andre DeBose in 2010. The only offensive bright spot against Alabama in the 2011 route? Andre DeBose 65 yard TD on the first play of the game. The only bright spot on offense in the road route against LSU? Andre DeBose 65 yard TD reception from Jacoby Brissett. Come on Coach Will and Coach Weis, you guys are being paid millions of dollars to coach football. Stop doing your Steve Addazio impersonation and GET THE RIGHT PLAYERS----INCLUDING MIKE GILLISLEE AND ANDRE DeBOSE----ON THE FIELD AND GET THEM THE BALL!!!

RFW Disagrees with Sentinel Columnist Mike Bianchi

Earlier today, the Orlando Sentinel published an article by Sports Columnist Mike Bianchi entitled "Why are Will Muschamp, Charlie Weis playing games with Gators quarterbacks?"  In the article, Bianchi argues that Coaches Muschamp and Weis are being paranoid about the negative repercussions of revealing who the selected QB will be for the LSU game this weekend.

I totally disagree with Bianchi. Coach Muschamp's job isn't to make Bianchi's job easier by revealing information; it is to win football games. If LSU doesn't know who the starter is; so much the better for UF... Jeff Driskel, Jacoby Brissett and Tyler Murphy all have different styles, making it harder to prepare if LSU doesn’t know who's playing. 

Also, Driskel hasn't played well at all in the 3 games in which he has seen action. IMHO, he doesn't look ready.  It is very possible the coaches don't know yet who they are going with.  Also, Charlie Weis was very instrumental in the recruiting of Jacoby and has been very positive towards his abilities and potential in public comments.  

Plus let's not forget that Tyler Murphy outperformed all the other QBs including Brantley, in the Orange and Blue game and has a Redshirt Freshman year of experience under his belt.

Photo: Zimbio.com

And all the so-called "analysts" continue to bottom-feed...

When Tim Tebow was training before the draft, everyone in the media said that he probably wouldn’t go until the fifth or sixth round of the NFL draft. On the latest segment of the Talkin’ Old School radio show, Roger Franklin Williams and Producer Brian Wininger argue that many sports analysts are still rooting for his failure after he stunned the world as a first round draft pick.  

How many sports “analysts” will have egg on their faces when Tebow proves them wrong as a successful NFL QB?

Tim Tebow gives Denver the Best Chance to Win

Just last night, Orlando Sentinel columnist George Diaz posted an article about how Denver needs to start Tim Tebow. I couldn’t agree more.

Check out a segment from a recent radio show where I argue that Kyle Orton should be removed as Denver’s starting QB and Tim Tebow should replace him. C’mon, under his “leadership,” Orton has a 2 – 13 record with Denver.

Tim Tebow brings energy and a different style of play; he can run and extend the pocket, and he can make plays with his feet. He has proven that he can move the chains, make big plays and score in the red zone. Tebow is Denver’s best shot for a different outcome this season.

TIDE ROLLS OVER GATORS IN THE SWAMP

Gators Not Ready For Prime Time On Saturday

Photo: Bleacher Report

The much anticipated prime time match-up between undefeated Florida and undefeated Alabama at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium turned out to be a textbook lesson in "Old School" SEC football administered by an experienced, workman-like, physical Alabama team to an overwhelmed class of young Gators. Sadly for the Gators, Saturday's contest against Alabama turned out to be agonizingly similar to the last two meetings  between the two schools---Saturday's 38-10 shellacking brought memories of last season’s 31-6 beat down by Alabama in Tuscaloosa, which was amazingly similar to the Tide's 32-13 win in the 2009 SEC Championship game in Atlanta.

The story of what happened is similar to Alabama's offense; simple, basic and brutally concise. Alabama controlled---no, not controlled, dominated---both lines of scrimmage, controlled the clock, controlled field position and ran the ball whenever they wanted to from start to finish. On defense, the Crimson Tide defense completely shut down Florida's running game, to the tune of a total of 15 yards rushing, or in other words, 400 less than last Saturday at Kentucky; smothered Demps and Rainey---the Gator dynamic duo had a total of 4 rushing yards a piece; wreaked havoc on Florida's passing game with a withering pass rush and eventually snuffed out any chance of Florida's making a game of it in the second half by knocking Sr QB John Brantley out of the game early in the third quarter.  On special teams, 'Bama's punter kept Florida pinned on their own side of the field for most of the night and the kick-off return unit set up an early touchdown with a 70 yard kick-off return. Overall, classic textbook SEC/Alabama football taught in their brutally unforgiving style.

Photo: Miami Herald

Ironically, Florida took an early 7-0 lead when on the Gators first play from scrimmage, John Brantley hit Soph WR Andre DeBose with a beautiful 65 yard bomb. Before being forced to leave the game with an ugly lower leg injury after one of the smothering Alabama defense frequent sacks, Brantley was having one of the best passing games of his Gator career, going 11-16 passing for 190 yards including the dramatic TD bomb to DeBose. Even that faint bright spot was dimmed by the aforementioned sacks, which included being sacked out of makeable field goal range at the end of the first half, and an ugly interception, which was returned for a touchdown and helped Alabama pull away from the Gators in the second quarter.

Basically, a total domination by Alabama in terms of completely controlling both lines of scrimmage, running game, stopping the run, stopping the pass, pass rush, field position and special teams. To the point where Florida's only bright spot, an emerging down-the-field passing game and a nice passing night by QB John Brantley, was snuffed out when Brantley was injured early in the second half.

The Gators now go from a crushing home prime time beat down by a more physical, experienced Alabama team ranked #3 in the country to a trip to one of the most hostile environments in college football to take on the #1 team in the country, LSU, without their starting QB. Unlike last night's 8pm Prime Time national television venue, the Baton Rouge kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm.

Hopefully a matinee billing will be more conducive to a solid performance to this fledgling troupe of Gators.